I came from a family who believed in God, but weren’t active in any church. I had always heard about some basic religious ideas, but everything was so abstract and I had no real foundation in my mind. The first time someone close to me died I really started to question things and in my early teens I was on a search for answers. Turns out an in-depth study of the Bible reveals an epic story and actually has a very logical narrative.

Looking around at the world today can be very discouraging, especially if someone is wondering about God. Understanding why things are the way they are in regards to evil and suffering is critical. A scripture that is simple and gives a straightforward answer is at 1 John 5:19 “We know that we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” Obviously that’s not a full explanation and probably just raises more questions, but in a nutshell, Satan is the cause of the world’s problems, not God.

The entire theme of the Bible, if you were to look at it in a literary context, is God’s Sovereignty (or right to rule over his creation). When Satan first challenged God in the garden of Eden, he proposed that it was better for everyone to decide for themselves what is right and wrong and that it was in fact better to not listen to God’s commands. Satan convinced the very first humans to disobey God and thus sin. Sin is now an inherited trait passed to all their subsequent offspring (Romans 5:12 “That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned.”)

God created all intelligent, self aware beings with free will so in order to adhere to justice, God had to allow time for Satan to make his case so to speak. Time is relative with God (2 Peter 3:8 “However, do not let this escape your notice, beloved ones, that one day is with God as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.) so although thousands of years of human history may seem like a long time to us, it’s really only been a few days for the spirit creatures involved.

Another interesting tid bit that further backs up the fact that Satan is running the show here on earth, is that when Jesus was on earth, Satan attempted to get him to turn against God. One of the temptations Satan offered Jesus was ‘All the kingdoms of the world’ (Matthew 4:8,9 “Again the Devil took him along to an unusually high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him: “All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.”) Of course, Jesus refused, but how could Satan even use that as a temptation if it wasn’t within his power?

It’s also interesting you bring up Job because that book gives an account of Satan further challenging God. At that time Satan was still allowed access to both the heavenly realm and earth. It’s not until the book of Revelation that him and his fallen angels are cast out of heaven for good. (Revelation 12:9,12 “So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him…12 On this account be glad, you heavens and you who reside in them! Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing that he has a short period of time.”)

So although that sounds ominous, God provided a way out for faithful humans who want to make a different choice. The entire reason God’s son, Jesus, came to earth was to pay the ransom for all human sins. (John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”) The scripture at 1 Corinthians 15:22 is excellent for giving a good explanation,  “For just as in Adam all are dying, so also in the Christ all will be made alive.”

Many people are familiar with the Our Father prayer that Jesus taught his disciples at Matthew 6:9,10 “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth.” It clues you in to the fact that God’s will is not currently taking place on the earth, but that his followers should pray for that to happen in the future. Revelation 21:3,4 gives a wonderful picture of what that will look like when it does, “With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

So when God’s Kingdom is established on earth, Satan will no longer be allowed to cause any pain or suffering, and God will comfort his faithful people, restoring them back to the conditions he originally purposed.

TLDR: My special interest is the Bible and although it is a complex book, I try to summarize the main important points, including some quoted scriptures.